Devoted to Don and Phil

The Everly Brothers rock. I had known about their existence for quite some time but it wasn’t until last summer when I finally started to realize their true greatness. I call it “a personal breakthrough”: that moment, those one or two days of your life when you feel you’ve finally found the essence of a band/artist and suddenly enjoy listening to it more than ever. The artist has become more familiar to you, which enables you to enjoy the music more and more... I found the essence of the Everly Brothers thanks to a release called It’s Everly Time & A Date With The Everly Brothers, a CD that contains the duo’s third and fourth album. The albums were originally released in 1960 and 1961.

These brothers are a perfect answer to anyone (like me) who hungers for sugary 50s/early 60s teen idols – and harmonies! Although the Everlys aren’t regarded primarily as teen idols, almost everyone knows that they are probably the most ear-melting male duo ever. Something about them is in fact different from most other harmony singing groups and duos…

The Everly Brother’s roots are in rock’n roll and country music. Therefore many of their songs have a slightly country-tingled rock’n roll feel, and the steel guitar has an effect, too. The Everly Brothers are, as far as I know, probably most famous for gentle and absolutely stunning ballads like All I Have to Do Is Dream. Love songs form a considerate part of the duo’s catalog. The Everlys sing a great deal about girls. As we all know, girls usually lead to either bliss (You Thrill Me (Through and Through); Always It’s You) or misery (Sigh, Cry Almost Die; Love Hurts). While the brothers sing happily about happiness, in the sadder songs they express themselves melancholically but not bitterly. The peacefulness of this music makes it suitable for relaxation, and of course for those moments when you hunger for sweet...

Being one of the most delicious vocal duos ever the Everly Brothers influenced many groups that sang harmony vocals, such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys. The Everly Brothers’ harmonies differ from the usual harmony singing, where the different vocal parts would sound strange if they were separated. However, when listening to the Everly Brothers, you might notice that both Don’s lower and Phil’s higher melody line could stand on their own.

The Everly Brothers had their biggest hits around 1957-1964. During that time they recorded dozens of songs that became Billboard hits. When the British Invasion hit, it became significantly more difficult to reach audiences with traditional American pop. By the end of the 60s the Everly Brothers lost their hitmaker status to Britpop bands and other new phenomena. Don and Phil split in the early 70s and pursued solo careers but were reunited in 1983. More recent years have brought the Everly Brothers various awards, such as Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and introduction to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

When it comes to the musical situation of 21st century… People just don’t make a lot of music like this anymore. Sometimes I feel like I’m 70 years old. None of my friends really listens to this kind of stuff. Can you blame me for enjoying classic, traditional pop songs that focus on melody, songwriting, vocals and vocal harmonies? I guess you can’t. I bet you enjoy the exact same thing, and so would also my friends if they gave the early 60s a proper chance.

The Everly Brothers at YouTube
The Everly Brothers Fan Club - The Beehive

Three Musketenors

I don’t really know any Finnish pop musicians personally. Well, to be honest, my dad used to be a rock star in the 80s but that is another story… During the few years I've been over 18 (and able to get into clubs) I’ve probably seen more than 100 Finnish indie bands play live. The truth is, however, that I don’t know any members of those bands personally, not a single one. The closest contact I have is a second-hand contact. For instance, a friend of mine has a big brother who has played with a couple of bands (which I’ve also seen live).

Today’s topic is my friend’s boyfriend’s band, Wedding Crashers. I heard they chose the name intentionally so that it could be abbreviated “WC”, something that people will remember easily. When it comes to the music, I’ve seen different attributes appear on their MySpace. Once I saw something like “Happy hardcore / Pop” which I though was pretty fun… The last time I checked they described themselves as “Rock / Powerpop / Surf”.

In fact, I saw Wedding Crashers live in Tampere about 1,5 months ago. I liked the gig a lot. I remember the guys were really sympathetic, played well, and had fun stuff to tell between the songs. The band was happy, everyone was happy… That is the way to do it - this miserable, dark country needs more positivity, positive attitude! Wedding Crashers played catchy pop/rock tunes as well as more folky, acoustic material. One of the most memorable things was that they actually ended the gig with a Beatles cover, Please Please Me. I think it was the first time ever I saw a Beatles song played live. What is wrong with this country?..

Go ahead and check out this band. According to my source (the friend I mentioned), the guys wanted to perfect their music before making it public as they intend to be the next Oasis. That is what I call ambition! Wedding Crashers are unsigned at the moment and I don’t think they’ve released much music yet but they’ve been successful in band contests. Last summer they even got to play at Provinssirock, one of the most legendary summer rock festivals in Finland. I’m looking forward to hearing more of their stuff. The guys have talent, they simply have to put it on record.

Wedding Crashers at MySpace
Wedding Crashers Facebook fan page

Doo Wop, Baroque, Girls - and More Girls

It was about time that I got familiar with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons! Being a huge Beach Boys fan, this was, of course, a very natural thing to happen to me. Still, it wasn’t automatic, I think. Or maybe it was. Frankie Valli and his magnificent harmony singing friends are in every case a must-hear for all Beach Boys fans. I approached this group by listening to Anthology: Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (thanks to Tampere City Library).

Everyone knows there was some form of a rivalry between the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons. Both bands became popular at the same time, around year 1962 and performed music that was stylistically quite similar – but not completely similar. While both groups incorporated a great deal of multipart doo wop vocal harmonies and nonsense syllables, Frankie Valli’s group concentrated even more on doo wop. Brian Wilson’s Boys might also be described being more straightforwardly rock’n roll oriented, especially in the early stages of their career. On the other hand, The Four Seasons didn’t sing about surfing or cars, but they surely shared one interest with the Beach Boys: girls. The Four Seasons, who were originally from Newark, New Jersey, released their first album in 1962 (as did The Beach Boys), and their first hit song was Sherry.

After a small getting used to period I found myself enjoying The Four Seasons very, very much. Frankie Valli is of course both similar to and different from Brian Wilson. Both have performed absolutely lovely falsetto vocals but their singing style is somewhat different in lower areas. While Brian rarely used his voice to anything else but pure prettiness in the 60s, Frankie Valli wasn’t afraid to show different aspects of his voice. Frankie Valli resembles Graham Nash a lot, and (perhaps a bit confusingly) has more rock’n roll angst in his voice and singing style than Brian Wilson.

The songs… Ronnie! I love, love, love that tune! Marlena, Dawn (Go Away), and Rag Doll are not much less excellent - not to mention Silence Is Golden, a song of which The Tremeloes made a hit. The Four Seasons’ most obvious bubblegum connection is Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye), a major hit for Bay City Rollers in the 70s. I give Four Seasons extra points for that one but the absolutely bubblegummy BCR version, in my opinion, is more enjoyable. I know, I’m totally blinded and enchanted by bubblegum and bubblegummyness... I can’t help it, bubblegum is sticky (=impossible to give up).

Back to the Four Seasons.. Save It For Me is already beginning to sound very sophisticated, á la The Association, and Today!/Summer Days (And Summer Nights) Beach Boys. Other lovely hit songs from the mid-60s include Girl Come Running, Let's Hang On!, Working My Way Back to You, Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me), I’ve Got You Under My Skin, C’mon Marianne… The list is almost endless. A special case is Can't Take My Eyes off You, a magnificently superb song that was released as a Frankie Valli solo single in 1967. The song is ear-melting, and I love playing it myself too.

The Four Seasons survived pretty well in the middle of the British Invasion and remained as a popular live act. The end of the 60s was however a hard time for the band. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons signed onto Motown Records and released new material with modest success. In the mid 70s Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (as separate acts) returned to scoring million selling hits. Since then the group has gone through dozens of personnel changes. Their latest North American tour apparently took place as recently as in 2007. Jersey Boys, a musical play about the Four Seasons has been around for years and it has even been taken to Melbourne, Australia. A quick look to YouTube revealed that there is/was even a “Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons Tribute On Ice". Everything really is on ice these days…

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons are irreplaceable. I’m sure they will always have a place in my heart – there right next to the Beach Boys.

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons at YouTube
Official Frankie Valli Page

The Wonder Child

There is one thing about me that I don’t understand (not that it really is the only thing..). I listen to music and have a music blog. Obviously, you might assume that I also write about the music that I’ve been listening to. But the thing is, I don’t. The problem seems pretty clear. That is why I’m going to do something about it.

I think I’ve always been aware of the existence of Stevie Wonder. Still, it took more than 20 years for me to find out that he is more than just a soul musician: he is in fact a pop music genius and shouldn’t go unnoticed by anyone who has a devotion to pop. A good thing is that he will not go unnoticed by anyone who has ears: Wonder's classic hits are played everywhere. Many of his most wonderful songs however might go past your ears if you don’t dig a little deeper.

Stevie Wonder had his first hit at the age of 13 with Fingertips (Pt. 2). That is just amazing! Stevie was a real wonder child. Since his first hit Wonder has no doubt become an American soul music icon and won amazingly many Grammy Awards. Some of his 60s Motown pop hits included Uptight (Everything’s Alright), I Was Made to Love You (that I had previously only heard performed by the Beach Boys), Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours (a song also covered by numerous artists), and For Once in My Life.

During his most commercially successful period in the 80s Wonder scored hits like Happy Birthday, I Just Called to Say I Love You, Part-Time Lover, and Ebony and Ivory (with Paul McCartney). Those songs are obviously nice to hear but there’s more to Stevie than just those songs they play on every adult radio channel. Let’s see.. Never Had a Dream Come True is a real gem. It includes a heavenly melody, violins, happy feel – that’s it, a perfect pop song. Here are some other tracks I enjoyed last summer: I’m Wondering; Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday; If You Really Love Me; Heaven Help Us All...

In 1976 Wonder released Songs in the Key of Life, a double LP that is probably one of his most ambitious creations. I still haven’t paid much attention to it but you can bet on that I will check it out sooner or later… The album contains Sir Duke, a tribute Duke Ellington and several other jazz legends. Songs in the Key of Life was a part of Wonder’s so-called classical period in the 70s – a period that is most definitely worth listening.

When it comes to the vocals, Wonder is one of those, in my opinion, very intriguing guys who don’t seem to go through much of a change during the transition of from childhood to adult age. Wonder doesn’t sound like a child but his voice is still much more boyish and has a higher pitch than, say, Barry White’s voice… That means extremely suitable for pop music and catchy melodies!

To cut a long story short, Mr. Wonder is my first favourite soul music artist. To be honest, he just might stay in that position for quite some time, if not forever! Last summer was (among other things) a soul season for me. I focused on Wonder but also listened to some Four Tops, Supremes, and Otis Redding. Anyway, whatever type of music you prefer, there is no denying the catchiness and undefeatable charm of Stevie Wonder’s music.

Stevie Wonder at YouTube
Official Stevie Wonder website

Fab. Very, Very Fab.

As you already know (or at least should know), The Sun Sawed in 1/2 is back and going to release a new album next year, one new song every month. And since I don't seem to think about anything else these days (well, almost anything..), I'll give you bloggers something to do while waiting for the new Sun stuff. First of all, you can go to iTunes store and listen to the band's music. It's all there, including many rarities.

The band now has a nice Facebook fan page where you can get all the latest news about this magnificently talented group as well as watch some videos and pictures. New stuff is downloaded nicely often. Anyone can join this site by clicking Become a fan. If you are at least a bit interested in this band, do it now!

I will probably start a tradition of celebrating the 17th of March as the day when I actually saw this band for the first time (see my post from that day, Overjoyed). I had seen a couple of pictures but a 2D view is only 2D. Sometimes adding color to footage will also bring out some cool surprises…

So, check out these following tunes from the band’s 1997 album Fizzy Lift – my favorite album of all times, gorgeous material! Denny’s Girl is a music video the band made in the late 90s, other songs have been illustrated with live material and some other interesting stuff…

Denny’s Girl
Sleepwalker
Dragonfly
Starting to See

Here’s a clip that includes excerpts from some of the band’s greatest hits. In the end you can hear a sample of a brand new SS1/2 song (It is a demo but it sounds very finished already, if you ask me…)!
The Sun Sawed in 1/2: Now on iTunes

Some earlier stuff - a lovely interview from 1991 with performance of a song called Tangerine Queen

And DON’T forget Come Sail Away!

Even More Overjoyed

THEY ARE BACK AND I JUST FOUND OUT! Who, you ask. Well, of course The Sun Sawed in 1/2. The band's entire discography has now been released on iTunes, as well as other material, including live tracks and rare recordings. SS1/2 is also going to record a new album and release it track by track in 2010. This means there is going to be a new song every month. Wow.. What a year. I can't wait!

I feel dizzy.. Still, I already listened to samples of several Sun songs I'd never heard before. Suddenly there is new old stuff and soon new stuff available... There is really no doubt that they are my number one favorite band.

Tim says he has written his 12 best songs ever. THE BEST songs. My goodness, I just might be listening to this band every day even in 2070 and drool as much then as I do now..

Hooray!

All That Jazz

Finally, here comes my report from Pori Jazz festival. I don’t even remember how many times I’ve been at Pori Jazz. It’s become a tradition, and it surely is the best Finnish summer music festival I know.

Jazz started already before arriving at Pori. My dad introduced me to Chuck Mangione, a flugelhorn player whose song Feels So Good was quite a hit back in 1977. This wonderful, melodic piece of jazz is influenced by pop, r&b, and funk.

Chuck Mangione: Feels So Good (YouTube)
Another artist was The Crusaders, a group that has worked in the area of jazz-funk fusion. The band (originally called The Jazz Crusaders) made a long career releasing more that 30 albums. Their most successful song was Street Life from 1979.

The Crusaders & Randy Crawford: Street Life (YouTube)
The Crusaders at MySpace

Pori, an idyllic town on the west coast of Finland, has been known as Finland’s jazz town for decades. Pori Jazz festival has taken place every year since 1966, and based on the ticket sales it is the biggest festival in Finland and one of the biggest in Europe. Pori Jazz has always had international artists involved – artists such as James Brown, Sting, Paul Simon, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie have performed at Pori Jazz.

The thing about jazz in general is, that even though jazz is considered to be one of the two forms of art music (the other being classical music/opera), it receives very little financial support from Finnish cultural funds. Savonlinna Opera Festival gets a lot of money, and smaller sums go to folk music festivals, for instance. It seems that jazz is expected to manage on its own, like pop, rock, and heavy metal. Well, looking at Pori Jazz list of performers, it’s clear that jazz does not manage on its own – it seems to require heavy support from soul, funk, r&b, and a range of other genres many of which actually have very little to do with jazz. Last year’s megastar in Pori was Santana. Sly & The Family Stone also paid a visit to Pori quite recently, and so did Ziggy “Bob’s son” Marley. A couple of years ago Pori Jazz even lured audience to Kirjurinluoto arena with hip hop – Jay-Z performed.

The sad truth is, all this results in thousands of people coming to Pori to listen to anything but jazz. That is probably not the original purpose of this festival, but it may be the only way to keep the Jazz alive – and alive it is, although you are not going to see jazz bands as main performers in Pori very often. Luckily, you can still hear a plenty of jazz at the festival, and you can even hear a plenty of jazz for free. Pori Jazz grants every year numerous free admission concerts to anyone who’s interested. During the festival, there are 2-4 free concerts every day. Those concerts include several international artists and the best of Finland’s jazz talent which means you don’t even have to pay to see virtuosity.

This year’s headlining artists were Erykah Badu, Duffy and The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Booker T. Jones was also one of the big names. When it comes to these artists, Pori Jazz is a great place to go camping because you can hear the main concerts quite well to Pormestarinluoto camping site. I only managed to hear one song from Duffy, but from Raphael Saadiq’s gig I heard many songs. Saadiq’s soul/r&b music sounded really good. It even made me want to check out his records. There was definitely a lot of Stevie Wonder in Saadiq’s material.

Raphael Saadiq at MySpace

Speaking of Stevie Wonder… Mr. Wonder seemed to be everywhere at Pori Jazz, even though he certainly wasn’t there personally. During the time I spent at the festival, I heard about five different acts perform Stevie Wonder’s music. Motown’s 50th anniversary had certainly something to do with this. Stevie is of course a musical genius in his own right. I’ve recently come to like his music very much, and I’m just getting started…

This year isn’t only a celebration of Motown’s 50th anniversary – it is also the year of swing legend Benny Goodman’s 100th birthday. American clarinet virtuoso Ken Peplowski performed with some talented musicians under the title “Ken Peplowski’s Benny Goodman Contennial Celebration”.

Ken Peplowski at All About Jazz

Another wonderful moment was seeing Tuuli Taul and Eyolf Dale, winners of Nömme Jazz contest, perform a set. Norwegian Dale played the piano and Estonian Taul took care of the vocals. Taul’s performance was delightful. She performed some cool scat singing, and it was really interesting to hear her sing many songs in Estonian – several of which she had translated herself. Estonian language sounds really peculiar to any Finn. You see, Estonian is the closest relative to Finnish language which causes some words to be exactly the same in both languages, but the overall impression of Estonian being somewhat strange...

Tuuli Taul at MySpaceEyolf Dale at MySpace

Dutch tenor saxophonist and flutist Andy Declerck played some really good modern jazz with Finnish guitarist Kari Antila. Together with an a-class rhythm section from Finland, these guys form a band Andy Declerck & Kari Antila Group. Virtuosity is an important part of any jazz experience. As you might guess, Declerck and Antila are some of the most well-respected musicians of their home countries.

Andy Declerck at MySpace
Andy Declerck homepage
Kari Antila at MySpace

For some reason, the Pori Jazz organization wanted to add some Finnish indie pop to the cavalcade this year. The idea sounds excellent, of course. Regina and TV OFF played a concert, although I didn't see it. When another Finnish pop band, Belle Who (previously unknown to me) played their set on Radio Nova stage, I recognized one song. I had heard it in the Finnish TV commercial for Grey’s Anatomy. The performance wasn’t bad but the music didn’t quite impress me. I read somewhere that Belle Who intends to be Finland’s Lily Allen. In my opinion, that can’t be very good… Well, I bet many people will like that stuff. Belle Who released a debut album earlier this year.

Belle Who at MySpace

One of the most memorable artists I saw on Radio Nova stage was Hazmat Modine, a group from New York. Their music wasn’t exactly jazz, although many of the traditional jazz instruments were in use. Hazmat Modine’s music was best described as ethno. There was a lot of blues influence, some oriental sounds and even reggae there. The most distinctive feature of Hazmat Modine was the masterful use of different harmonicas, including diatonic and chromatic harmonicas. There was also a tuba involved. Tuba is a fun instrument - it looks like it just landed from outer space…

Hazmat Modine at MySpace

Helsinki Pop Jazz Conservatory showed some of its coolest talents by presenting its Motown band, Par Avion. These young men, wearing Blues Brothers costumes and sunglasses, performed Motown’s greatest hits, other soul/pop classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s, including hits from the Blues Brothers movie. The guys (and one girl) put on a great show with a lot of fun. OMG, I wanna be in a band like that too!

I think I’ve pretty much been swept away by jazz now. I’m not saying I’m going to abandon my endless bubblegum, power pop and 70s semi-progressive hard rock listening activities… Still, I think I’ve realized something important about jazz, as well as soul and r&b, and the use of jazz, soul and r&b instruments in other genres. First of all, I want to learn more about this area. Also, there is a reason why there are many Charlie Parker and Phil Woods CDs on my desk, and a beginner’s DVD that introduces a certain woodwind instrument… It seems that I’m actually going to realize one of my musical dreams/ambitions – sooner than I ever expected, I might add. And that’s not even all. I can’t begin to guess what I’ll be doing a few years from now…

Wanna join an r&b band? Psychedelic rock band?

Twenty Ways Amazed

Oh... This one goes deep. Not only is this album extremely touching, it bears some truly special meaning for yours truly who personally finds Tim Rose, the man behind the title Fresh Mowed Lawn, greater and in many ways more important than most musical legends. Something about Rose’s songs appeals to me big time. I believe the simple explanation is melodies, and Rose’s phenomenal ability to come up with them (although I can’t deny the meaning of a sweet voice that delivers the melodies either…). Whatever the ultimate reason is, something about the music of The Sun Sawed in 1/2 (and Fresh Mowed Lawn) has been enchanting me ever since I found these titles.

Tim Rose, who had a few years earlier recorded tracks for The Sun Sawed in 1/2's latest album (I refuse to say “last”!) Bewilderbeest in Kyiv, Ukraine, now went to Austria and recorded the entire album in Vienna with the help of talented local musicians. The result is fresh and clear, although Rose hasn’t completely abandoned the dark shades of psychedelia. The general sound is in fact rather dark than bright, but I would preferably describe the album’s mood as atmospheric. Rose chants and the band plays through the album in the spirit of Wondermints and The High Llamas. The absolute sincerity and positive mood of Watching the World Turn Slowly/From This Day Forward gives some really strong loving vibes pretty similar to Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds. I think it would be quite suitable to call this album Tim Rose’s Pet Sounds.

The Fresh Mowed Lawn album (2005) is not much about rock or electric guitars – I’m still not saying that there wouldn’t be any rock in Rose’s performance. Gently sweeping drums, acoustic guitars (and some electric ones too), flutes, lovely female background singers and charmingly dramatic piano playing make the sound of FML. There are also some trumpets and steel guitar that add a nice shade to a couple of songs. In the end of the album Rose even gives the floor to his son Luca.

Wish It All Away is a sort of personal favorite, although it is very difficult to pick faves from an album like this. Sometimes these songs make you feel like you’re looking straight into Rose’s heart – check Once Upon a Summer, The Rest of Your Life, or the title track. Fresh Mowed Lawn that probably gave a name this entire solo project (I guess Rose didn’t want to use his own name because of the other Tim Rose) is epic and has many parts. In the lyrics Rose paints a heavenly picture of lying on a fresh mowed lawn in the summer. Again, I have to refer to Pet Sounds. Rose’s lyrics are like a lovely poetry collection that deals with the ups and downs turning the hardships of life into comfort.

Now, for the first time (that I know of), Rose uses his own voice to perform complete songs on an album. His voice is considerably different from his Sun Sawed in 1/2 bandmate Doug who used to sing most of Rose’s songs. The change of lead vocalist changes the mood of the music, turning it more personal and, well… a lot less bubblegummy. More than butterscotch Rose sounds like Elvis Costello. In his solo material, Tim Rose doesn’t hold back and therefore he has to squeeze out some vocal parts. Part of the magic is definitely in the effort. Rose gives his best possible performance here.

Fresh Mowed Lawn doesn’t contain a second that wouldn’t have a meaning or that at least wouldn’t be entertaining. Tim Rose knows the secrets of melody, and that a good melody sounds even better when you use forceful vocal nuances, emotion and highlight the whole thing with a gorgeous arrangement.

Fresh Mowed Lawn at MySpace

Stockers! Release Debut EP

A young Finnish alt-rock band, Stockers! have released their first EP called Fuck Le Disco and it is available at Last.fm for free download. Stockers! was founded in Helsinki in 2007. The band has been playing gigs, recording original material and attracting potential listeners using modern channels (such as Facebook) ever since. The catch is that everyone in the band is less than 20 years old. Stockers! will however prove that age ain’t nothing but a number.

Despite the name, the EP is not completely disco rock-free. FLD makes use of modern rock influences. The first band that comes to my mind is Muse. Stockers! rely on catchy riffs and solid rock sound. Their music is melancholic but has other kinds of moods as well. Fuck Le Disco is definitely not bad for a band with all members still in their teens. This kind of activity requires enthusiasm, and with results this good I have to give credit to the boys.

Download Fuck Le Disco for free
Stockers! at MySpace

Tehosekoitin Back on Stage

This summer, one of the biggest names of Finnish 90s/2000s rock has been playing a six-gig series of reunion concerts, five years after the band broke up. Tehosekoitin returned for the first time in Helsinki on June 18th – I was there, of course. A few weeks later, I saw them again at Tammerfest. These gigs were my first and last time to see this awesome, legendary band live, and I wasn’t let down.

The two gigs were both good. The set lists were identical, I think, but there wasn’t after all a reason to alter them. The band played songs from all of their albums, except for the first, which was a bit disappointing. Still, I have to say that this band has a plenty of other good albums and songs as well.. But I would’ve loved to hear Syön sipsejä, or Ulkona.

There was some true rock’n roll fun going on the stage – and groovy dance moves! Otto sang really well and performed all his trademark maneuvers, including releasing his Marc Bolan-esque hair. That was a sight, I can tell… Otto didn’t seem to know what to say between songs during either of the gigs but he did talk, and so did the other guys. In my opinion, even thought it’s music, a gig, a band has to talk to the audience. If I were to find faults in the two gigs I witnessed, I would say I wasn’t completely pleased with the instrument solutions. I was expecting a more rocking sound but it was more keyboard-oriented and included only one electric guitar. However, the keys were really good so it didn’t matter that much. The gig at Tammerfest was a bit better soundwise. The band must have gotten their sound balanced by then.

You don’t often have the luxury of seeing your new favorite broken-up band live. I guess I got lucky - it was really cool. I wish other broken-up bands would do this as well.. Now there’s something more I’m going to blab about. As I was in the middle of this new craze a month or two ago, I of course had to find out some things about my favorites - the important being what these Tehosekoitin heroes have been doing since their old band disbanded. Levy-yhtiö’s forum revealed pretty much everything. Otto, in addition to releasing a poetry book, has been singing in a punk band called God Given Ass. I’m happy to know that Otto has continued with singing activities. He has surely made it to my gallery of favorite singers. Another thing Otto could do is sing on a solo album.

God Given Ass at MySpace

Checking out Tehosekoitin’s albums resulted in the band turning out to be more than just your average straightforward rock’n roll band - in many ways, actually. In addition to being energetic, Tehosekoitin is a true musical blender. Matti Mikkola’s knowledge led Tehosekoitin to record songs in a big variety of styles, everything from jazz to disco, punk to Motown-funk. After Tehosekoitin’s end, Mikkola founded a band called Saimaa.

Saimaa, named after Finland’s largest lake (a very national romantic name – although Mikkola’s Saimaa is not the only band with that name), might be the next big thing in Finland – at least in indie circles. Mikkola has convened a number of Finnish musicians to bring his latest vision to life. Some of the attributes that have been combined to Saimaa are symphonic/progressive rock, showtunes, and schlager. There are only a couple of samples of unfinished recordings at Saimaa’s MySpace but those clips sound really convincing. I’ve listened to them many times. The samples give evidence of big sounds and easy-going feel. Mikkola hasn’t lost his touch. On the contrary, he continues realizing his genius. I can’t wait hearing this music on a full-length album.

Saimaa at MySpace

The Swedish Mod-60s Returns

Remember when I advertised a Swedish 60s pop band called The Hep Stars last December? Soon after I wrote that, I found some statements about what the coolest Swedish 60s pop band actually was. There were surely many awesome Swedish pop bands in the 60s, and I even might blab more about some of them later… Anyway, according to my sources, the best pop band of 60s Sweden was Tages (pronounced “tah-guess”).

The story of Tages began in Gothenburg area. The guys showed some real talent at a young age and performed some covers and a lot of original material written mostly by bassist Göran Lagerberg. Their work resulted in national hits (Sleep Little Girl being the first) and, in time, legendary status as one of Sweden’s most memorable 60s pop groups as well as one of the most respected 60s bands from a non-English speaking country. Their greatest moment may have been their last psychedelic album Studio (1967). Tages were even considered to be Sweden’s answer to The Beatles. However, Tages never managed to break into international markets. The group broke up in 1968 and a new short-lived group Blond was founded.

I checked out YouTube for Tages and found quite a few songs. I would've liked to find more stuff from their later, more psychedelic period more but these songs are definitely not bad. They are actually very good (and you will find the single She's Having a Baby Now from 1967's Studio album here). Catchy songs, sweet melodies, and great harmonies added with the right attitude – perfect stuff for any 60s pop moment.

Sleep Little Girl
Every Raindrop Means a Lot
I Read You Like an Open Book
She’s Having a Baby Now
Get up an’ Get Goin’
True Fine Woman
I’ll Be Doggone
Understanding
Leaving Here
In My Dreams

Enchanted by Darkness, Once Again

Last weekend it was again time for Lumous Gothic Festival, Finland’s biggest festival that presents gothic and other types of dark music without incorporating any metal in its program. In my opinion, this is the most beautiful summer festival there is if you look at the people. The traditional historical black lace style is of course the most popular. One of the most popular styles nowadays is cybergoth – a style that utilizes futuristic outfits and huge collections of neon-colored hairpieces. However, there are practically no limitations to gothic style. Lumous doesn’t even try to be a meeting place only for goths. The festival organizers hope to reach different dark subcultures by offering a variety of performers – from industrial music and dark electronica to neo-folk.

The word lumous, according to my Finnish-English dictionary, means ‘enchantment’, ‘charm’, ‘bewitchment’, and ’spell’. I think there really is some kind of an enchantment at hand when it comes to gothic aesthetics. It’s the sublimity, the wildly adventurous, seductive punk-meets-graveyard dresscode.. And the thing with black eyeliner! I love it. I would probably put (lots of) it on everyday if I already didn’t look scary enough without any makeup..

Even though I still haven’t turned into the most eager gothic rock listener (there was a time when I listened to it quite a lot, though), I will definitely not miss a good nearby gothic festival or its performers. I attended Friday’s main concert at Klubi with a friend and friend’s friends. The performers were all interesting. The first one was called Grunt, a one-man Finnish band performing industrial noise –type of music. I’m not completely sure if it should be called music, since it really doesn’t sound like anything I would characterize as music. The experience was refreshing. For some reason, I always seem to like hearing stuff that doesn’t sound a bit like anything I tend to listen to… I can’t complain. The second act was Deviant UK, from The United Kingdom, a band that performed dark, electronic, and danceable music. It sounded good, excitingly dark, and occasionally the melodies were actually quite catchy. The gig was memorable not least thanks to their demonic-looking frontman who definitely had a plenty of charisma and energy.

The main attraction of the evening was Inkubus Sukkubus, the world’s most popular pagan rock band. The band’s music sounded to me like a mix of rock, dark pop melodies, and machine drum sounds. The band performed a nice set of songs from their 20-year-old career and some graphics presenting European pagan rituals and imagery. This band I will probably check out some time later.

The festival was again a big success. All of this year’s main concerts were sold out. I and my friend even managed to get to the national media… Ilta-Sanomat, one of Finland’s two main tabloid magazines captured us onto an internet video that dealt with the festival. Lumous is always a great experience for me – this year was the third time in a row.

Positivity, Positivity!

Before I go on to blab more about bands and music, I hereby post another music video. It is a song by Egotrippi, one of my favorite Finnish bands (which I previously discussed last October). The idea of posting this just happened to cross my mind... And since it's one of the most hilarious videos ever made, you might enjoy it even if you can't understand Finnish.

Egotrippi had been around for more than ten years before they really started to draw attention in Finland. Nowadays their albums sell well and they attract big live audiences. All in all, they are the most popular power pop band in Finland. Curiously, the band never really became popular with ultimately happy songs such as this (the song is from 1997). That says something about what kind of music Finns seem to like to hear.

And, by the way, Se on tosi jees means approximately "That's Very Cool" (In fact, "jees" means "yes", but a word-to-word translation "It's Very Yes" wouldn't sound that good..) . The song is very happy and it's about things like making the clouds disappear from the sky and not being worried.


Egotrippi at MySpace

Psychedelicious

It wasn’t an instant love affair, but I must admit - it’s getting more and more difficult for me to keep my ears off Flight of the Knife (2008), the latest album by Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears. It was recommended “extremely highly” (or something like that…) by Bruce Brodeen, so I listened to a few soundclips. When I was finally able to find time to listen to the whole album properly, I felt like I had begun a new exciting journey.

Based on the photographs I’ve seen, Mr. Scary and his Tears’ live performance looks like a scene from an old horror movie – a pretty good reason to end up being characterized as a cinematic pop act. However, most of the people I know would probably understand the expression psychedelic rock better as a description of Scary’s psychedelicious pop-rock. You might hear echoes of Queen, ELO, XTC, and The Beatles (and I bet there are many other influences too) in the fascinating mix of psych-rock, melodic pop elements and lyrics that are practically science fiction. Personally, I have to admit that Scary’s sweet voice is also something that most certainly appeals to me (and will get me addicted to this album, I bet..).

Flight of the Knife utilizes a fairly traditional set of instruments – one of the highlights being Scary’s powerful piano work - although the experience definitely comes with many psychedelic effects, intriguing tempo changes, unpredictable song structures and other cool tricks. Thanks to those, listening to the album will certainly not get uninteresting. It is actually quite suitable to call Flight of the Knife an experience. Listening to the album is an audial adventure.

The songlist is awesome. Venus Ambassador, being good all the way, has an absolutely delicious melody part that is heard in the beginning, and then again in the end of the song. The wild rocking chorus of The Purple Rocket is another favorite moment – here you can really hear the psychedelic rock, not to mention the awesomeness of the ELO-influenced layered vocals. Imitation of the Sky rocks too: “This is the mourning of the Susie High” – Scary’s melodic genius is clear here. That phrase, along with numerous others, may actually get stuck in your head, and you'll love it. Also one of my favourites is Mama Waits - an obvious should-be hit single. It is extremely catchy, somewhat Sgt. Pepper-like, and one of the most traditionally-constructed songs on the album. The Zero Light is happy – uplifting, I’d say. The Curious Disappearance of the Sky-Ship Thunder-Man (what a title!) is a completely delicious ballad that won’t go unnoticed. Heaven on a Bird is another ballad, totally wonderful.

This album gives me an impression that Mr. Scary has found a way to realize his musical potential to the fullest. I believe it will be difficult for him to make an album even better than this one. Will he succeed anyway? Someday we’ll find out… If only his music got the attention it deserves, the world would be at least a bit better place.

Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears at MySpace
Flight of The Knife site (listen to the album here)

[Hooray, my 100th post!]

The Best Day of Summer

As you might have guessed, I wasn't so much liberated from schoolwork after all.. Well, now I'm feeling a lot more free - no deadlines tomorrow.. In order to celebrate the current heatwave and the fact that I don't need to wear woolly socks, here is an awesome summer hit by my newest Finnish mega-favourite Tehosekoitin. This song was released in 1999 on the band's Freak Out! album. It is a song about the best day of the summer. The asphalt is really hot and the mood summery, even though the beautiful girl seems to be (curiously) missing..

Asfaltti polttaa is a perfect song for summer. The arrangement is excellent and has a lot of 60s/70s vibes. You just can't go wrong with those saxophones... This video was filmed at the Mediterranean. More about Tehosekoitin soon.